New Sex Crime Penalties Announced

Penalties for sex crimes committed against children ages 13 years and younger will be tightened, according to the Ministry of Justice yesterday. In addition, a person who reveals a victim’s personal information on the Internet will also be subject to criminal prosecution.

The ministry announced that it submitted a bill to the National Assembly regarding the revision of laws related to sex crimes against children. Under the revised law, such criminals will be charged with rape.

So far, because of a loophole in the law, criminals who committed sexual abuse against young children were charged with forcible sexual molestation, which is subject to a relatively milder punishment.

According to a written opinion presented by the ministry, sexually abusing children 13 years or younger with violence or threats will be subject to the same punishment as rape, under which criminals can be sentenced to a minimum of three years in jail.

Of child sex criminals who were forced to reveal their personal information so far, 78 percent were charged with forcible sexual molestation.

Forcible sexual molestation is liable up to 10 years in jail and up to 15 million won in fines.

The ministry will also punish those who reveal the personal information of sex crime victims on the Internet, as in the recent case of a middle school teacher who raped a female temporary instructor.

Right now, the law only prohibits people in charge of a rape case investigation or trial from disclosing personal information about the victim.

In this case, however, the ministry will apply the law only when the victim wants the person who revealed the information to be punished or investigated.

People revealing personal information about the victim via the Internet, the press, or the media without his or her consent, will be sentenced to up to two years’ imprisonment and fined five million won.

A new law for punishing the distribution of videos or pictures taken without the consensus of the other party, such as those taken secretly with camera phones, on the Internet will also be enacted.

woogija@donga.com